A 59-year-old woman found a man offering facial fillers on Facebook and went to his home the next day, then doctors cut open every injection site

For 59-year-old Helena Collard, a quick decision to fix her wrinkles ended with a hospital stay. After finding a practitioner on Facebook and heading to his home for dermal fillers, she developed a severe infection that required emergency surgery.

Helena shared her story on ITV’s This Morning on Monday, October 26, as reported by LADbible. She explained that she started feeling self-conscious about her appearance in February and decided to act fast. She sent a selfie to the practitioner and booked an appointment for the very next day.

Looking back, she admitted she feels silly for not taking more time to think it over. She noted, “If I’d have booked it for three or four weeks in advance, I probably wouldn’t have gone and totally wasted my deposit. So I thought, ‘Right, just do it’.”

Things went downhill quickly after the injections

Helena said she did not sign any paperwork or receive a proper consultation. Instead, she was numbed with cream before the injections began.

While she liked the look at first, her face soon began to swell and the pain became intense. When she reached out to the practitioner, he reportedly told her the reaction was normal and advised her not to worry.

As the swelling worsened, she struggled to eat or drink. She eventually went to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with cellulitis, a skin infection that can lead to sepsis if it spreads to the blood or bones.

Helena recalled feeling incredibly ill and struggling to stay awake before medical staff intervened, and she ended up having emergency surgery. Because of the severity of the infection, doctors could not dissolve the filler. “So, they cut every area that was injected, because it was full of infection,” she explained.

The ordeal has left Helena with permanent scarring. She is now urging others to check credentials and research practitioners to make sure they are qualified before getting cosmetic treatments.

Dr. Amiee Vyas, a skin health specialist, appeared on the show alongside Helena and highlighted the lack of paperwork, the speed of the appointment, and the poor aftercare as clear red flags. She stressed that although these treatments are meant to enhance appearance, they are medical procedures that require an understanding of anatomy and hygiene. Fillers were previously the focus of an experiment involving identical twins that tested their visible results.

After being contacted by This Morning, the practitioner said he “never set out to cause injury” and that he supports raising awareness of filler allergies. The Department of Health called the situation “unacceptable” and said it is introducing a licensing scheme to ensure anyone performing these treatments is trained, insured, and meeting safety standards.

New rules are also being introduced to restrict certain high-risk procedures to qualified medical professionals such as doctors, dentists, and nurses. Those found breaking the law could face heavy fines.